HONOLULU - Maui county school students in kindergarten through the 12th grade can earn cash for their schools by participating in the Verizon Hawaii/Verizon Information Services 13th annual phone book recycling contest.

Verizon will present first, second and third-place awards of $500, $200 and $100 to the three schools on Maui that collect the most books, based on per student population. The school collecting the most books on Molokai will receive a $250 award. Also, if Lanai School collects more than 600 books, Verizon will donate $250 to the school. The contest runs Dec. 4 through Dec. 13, 2003.

"We'd like to see all students and their families collecting old directories from their neighborhoods, local businesses and condominium associations," said Nelson Tanaka, Verizon Maui manager. "By keeping outdated directories out of our landfills, students can help the environment while raising extra funds for their school. This is truly a win-win situation for all."

Contest information has been sent to Maui, Molokai and Lanai school principals. All schools interested in participating in this program should register with Verizon's main office on Maui. Registered schools may drop off old telephone books during the contest period at the Maui Disposal Recycling Yard at the Central Base Yard on Mokulele Highway in Puunene. Maui Disposal will ship the recycled telephone books to a plant where they will be made into new phone books and other products. Results will be calculated during the month of December and winning schools will be announced shortly thereafter. For more information, call Verizon's Maui office at 242-5130.

Verizon's 2003-2004 phone directories were distributed on Maui earlier this month. The 30th anniversary cover of Hawaii's new edition of the Verizon SuperPages(tm) telephone directory features artwork entitled "Ka `aina o Pele" (The Land of Pele) by Hilo artist Kathleen Kam.

"Ka `aina o Pele" depicts the volcano Kilauea erupting and framed by the area's lush rainforest foliage, including nearly 20 indigenous plants. Honolulu-born Kam studied at the Honolulu Academy of Arts and the University of Hawaii before relocating to Hilo where she is an art instructor at St. Joseph High School.

Verizon encourages all residents, businesses and schools to recycle old directories.

Verizon Communications

A Fortune 10 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services, with approximately $67 billion in revenues and 221,000 employees. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with more than 139 million access line equivalents and 36 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is the third largest long-distance carrier for U.S. consumers, with nearly 16 million long-distance lines. The company is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. Verizon's international presence includes wireline and wireless communications operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.